New star on PGA Tour Champions becomes fifth World Golf Hall of Fame member to book ticket to Calgary
CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (July 18, 2017) — Vijay Singh is coming to Calgary!
The fifth World Golf Hall of Fame member to book his tee time for the fifth addition of the award-winning Shaw Charity Classic, Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2017, brings additional firepower to an already stellar field that includes Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Fred Couples and Colin Montgomerie.
“This is a huge win for our tournament and golf fans in Calgary,” said Sean Van Kesteren. “One of the things that makes PGA Tour Champions exciting to watch is you have many of the greats of the game on the same Tour with relative newcomers who are still competitive on the PGA Tour.
“Vijay Singh is one of those guys. His name has legendary status in the game. He can obviously still play at a very high level, and I know he is going to put on a great show.”
Singh has won 53 events worldwide – 34 of them on the PGA Tour, one PGA Tour Champions win, 13 European Tour titles and five victories on the Asian Tour. What began with winning Rookie-of-the-Year honours on the PGA Tour in 1993, the now 54-year old has a list of accolades as long as his punishing drives off the tee.
Capturing more wins than anyone after the age of 40, the “Big Fijian” has three Major titles throughout his illustrious career. He won the 2004 and 1998 PGA Championships, and put on a Green Jacket after winning the 2000 Masters.
Currently sitting in third place on the all-time career money list behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, Singh was the World Number 1 for 32 weeks between 2004 and 2005. He racked up 13 of his PGA Tour victories during that two-year period – none more memorable for golf fans north of the border then when he topped Canada’s Mike Weir in a dramatic playoff duel at the Canadian Open, denying fans a celebration they had been waiting to have for 50 years.
A winner of the 2008 FedEx Cup, Singh has played on all eight President Cup Teams for the International Team since the event’s inception.
Singh has only played a handful of events on the PGA Tour Champions in each of the last four years since turning 50. His first victory on the senior circuit came this spring when he teamed up with Carlos Franco to win the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. It was following this win that the Shaw Charity Classic’s defending champion, Franco, encouraged the international star to put Calgary on his schedule.
“Carlos talked to me about all of the successes of the Shaw Charity Classic – the golf course, the hospitality, the crowd support, and the amount of money that is raised for children’s charity in the area. Those are all very important factors for me in choosing where I want to play so I wanted to make sure I was a part of this year’s event,” said Singh, who is renowned as one of the most tireless workers at his trade.
“I have fond memories of playing in Canada. The fans share my passion for the game and have always treated me with great respect. I am excited to have the opportunity to try and win another title in Canada this September.”
About the Shaw Charity Classic
The Shaw Charity Classic will host some of the greatest names in the game of golf in Calgary at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, August 30 – September 3, 2017. The field, which will consist of 78 stars on the PGA Tour Champions, will compete for US $2.35 million in a three-round, 54-hole stroke-play tournament. The winner will receive US $352,500.
The annual PGA Tour Champions stop in Canada will showcase Calgary to the world through its broadcast on the Golf Channel. Led by a philanthropic Patron Group including Tournament Chairman – Clay Riddell, Allan Markin, Keith MacPhail, Jim Riddell, Guy Turcotte, Gary Peddle, Mike Culbert and PGA Tour Professional – Stephen Ames, along with title sponsor, Shaw Communications Inc, the Shaw Charity Classic won the prestigious President’s Award as the top event on the PGA Tour Champions in 2015 and 2014.
The tournament has raised more than $13.8 million in its first four years, with a PGA Tour Champions record setting donation of $5,217,713 raised in 2016 that was distributed amongst 124 youth-based charities in Alberta. For more information on the event, please visit www.shawcharityclassic.com.
Follow the Shaw Charity Classic at facebook.com/shawcharityclassic and on Twitter @shawclassic. The Shaw Charity Classic is managed by Bruno Event Team and Shaw Communications Inc.
For further information, please contact:
Chris Dornan, Shaw Charity Classic, 403-620-8731
